Daily Devotional 21 October 2021 | Message By The Prayer Portal
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TOPIC: Trending But Damning, Beware (3)
TODAY’S SCRIPTURE: Acts 17:16-34
KEY VERSE: Now while Paul waited for them at Athens, his spirit was stirred in him, when he saw the city WHOLLY GIVEN to idolatry. (Acts 17:16)
MESSAGE: The scourge of idolatry had ravished the entire city of Athens. It was considered as a pride for everyone, family etc to have at least one idol and if you did not belong, you could be considered an outcast with the trend of events. They had idols for everything and in their presumption that there could be something they are missing out in their worship, they erected a signpost with the inscriptions ” TO THE UNKNOWN GOD”. Despite the general view of the entire city, Paul remained totally committed to the dispense of the gospel of truth.
THE DECISION AND DETERMINATION TO REMAIN STEADFAST DESPITE TEMPTING TRENDS: Prov.23:23; 1 Cor. 15:58; 2 Tim.4:1-2
Very few people survive the strange wind of Change that attacks the doctrine insisting on a fresh revolution that makes a shipwreck of the gospel. We shall examine Paul’s resolve in the midst of trending idolatry that had taken over the whole city.
RESIST THE TEMPTATION TO BOW TO PRESSURE: Acts 17:21-23,; Eph. 4:14-15
Paul withstood the entire city with the WORD. It was a very difficult terrain. Even strangers had imbibed the strange spirit of idolatry.
However Paul invoked Dan. 11:32 as he stood alone in a highly idolized city.
REFUSE TO COME UNDER ANY FORM OF INTIMIDATION: Acts 17:19-20,34.
Paul was arrested and brought before Areopagus which was the Athenian governing council ( court ) on homocides and religious matters. Rather than condemn Paul, we later read in vs 34 that this remarkable encounter led to the conversion of Dionysius who was a judge at the Areopagus court. This is remarkable indeed as he became a Christian. A seed sown indeed that will certainly yield in the process of time.
REJECT THE WISDOM OF MEN THAT IS NOT IN TANDEM WITH GOD’S WORD: Acts 17:18; Titus 3:9-11; 1 Cor.3:19
The church today is saddled with diverse philosophies of men and not of God, new ideas, strange practices that fight against the truth etc. Paul clearly established in Acts 17:28 that we live, and move, and have our being; (IN CHRIST) as certain also of your own poets have said. Our lives, actions are circumvened around this.
